General cruising question and cabin location

[Frwinkley]

We will be cruising this summer to Alaska (not on DCL or RCCL). We have only cruised twice previously (on DCL and RCCL). I never was very concerned about cabin location or a balcony, but for this cruise I am.

We will be sailing on Holland America, the Koningsdam. My travel agent convinced me that an aft facing balcony would be ideal, giving us the best views, etc. I've done some research and am now questioning this since some people report significant motion and vibration.

Anyone able to offer any insight?

 

[sonnyjane]

Personal preference but I’d stick with a balcony on the side. I was on Westerdam but if I remember correctly, aft balcony rooms were staggered so your neighbor above you overlooks your balcony. It wasn’t that way on the sides. And yes, Alaska is one is definitely recommend splurging and getting a balcony!

 

[KayaWildfire]

The reason we have never done an aft facing balcony is the reason the pp had-the staggering and having your upstairs neighbors look down on your balcony. We had a balcony in the back on deck 2 on one of carnival's ships(not a true aft balcony, just really far in the back corner). Not much noise unless they were docking, but fairly significant vibration. I would go on cruise critic and look a ship map to determine how much of an issue the overlooking may be. Cruise critic also has reviews that you can sort by room type and ship so you can narrow it down a bit.

 

[design_mom]

I am not a cruise expert AT ALL -- but we went on an Alaskan Cruise on the Coral Princess two summers ago. It's not the same ship, but it looks like it's kind of a similar size.

The Coral Princess had a public balcony across the back of our deck, but we were the first cabin forward of the public balcony. (We had a separate private balcony to the side.) My sister's family was a few cabins farther forward from us. I believe some other decks had cabins with aft-facing balconies.

Regarding vibration -- we could feel some vibrations while we were laying quietly on the bed. It just kind of shook the bed gently. When we cruised on the Disney Dream, we were right above the movie theater and they played The Avengers on repeat. I think we felt more vibrations from the sound effects from that. Both were "noticeable" if you were laying quietly... but not none of them really disturbed us (slept fine, etc.)

We really enjoyed hanging out on the public aft-facing balcony. It was much larger than our side-facing ones so my sister's family and mine could all hang out there together (something we couldn't have done in anyone's cabins). Although the cabins with the aft-facing balconies probably wouldn't have been nearly as large as the public one... they did look like they were considerably deeper than the side-facing balconies. On our ship, the aft-facing balconies had chaise lounge chairs, while the side-facing had regular deck chairs (and those were a tight fit.) Based on what I experienced on the Coral Princess, I would consider booking an aft-facing cabin if it had a large balcony.

Similar to sonnyjane's point, though -- on certain decks there was a set-back, so those balconies were not 'covered' by the balcony above them. (This meant not only did rain fall on those balconies, the higher decks could look down onto them.) On our ship, this was true for certain decks on both the sides and the back... but not all decks. But that's not something I "noticed" when looking at the deck plans. However, if we cruise again, I will definitely check more closely. (Our deck was covered, so we lucked out there.)

 

[tvguy]

We have cruised Alaska twice, on HAL's Amsterdam and Westerdam. We did not have a balcony on either, but a friend had one on the Westerdam and we got to sit on it. To be honest the scenery in Alaska is on ALL sides of the ship. port, starboard, forward and aft. It is a bit overwhelming in my opinion. I think you will be good with any choice. But when going to the glaciers and through inside passages, we were up on the top deck outdoors to try and take it all in. And on those ships HAL passed out blankets and hot split pea soup to those up on the deck. AMAZING experience.

 

[eileenjez]

We have cruised extensively in Alaska. For me I would choose mid-ship balcony. We had an aft suite on one cruise and although we enjoyed the suite we didn't like the vibration nor the motion. It was one of the roughest cruises we had been on. Couldn't really complain since it was an upgrade that we didn't pay for.

 

[izzy]

For pictures (and sometimes comments), check out halfacts.com. The Holland America sub forum on Cruise Critic would also be an excellent resource. Have fun! I love cruising!

 

[fly girl]

I'll be the one and say I honestly prefer the aft balcony. On our first Alaskan cruise that is what we had. Well worth it because when a huge chunk of glacier fell into the ocean we were able to see it -- the starboard side did too, but if you had a port balcony you missed it. And we were also able to spot a lot of whales from our aft balcony too. (More than our mid ship cabin, but don't get me wrong we still saw a lot of wildlife from our mid ship cabin too!)

Downside would be if you tend to get motion sickness. We do not, so it was never an issue. But I have family members who do, and the aft was bit rough for one of them. (she did have rough seas on her cruise.) We occasionally felt ship vibrations, but it was minimal and never deterred from our experience.

Honestly, I think you will be fine with either one. Since I was on Celebrity I don't know how the aft balconies differ from mid ship on HAL, but it is worth looking into. We had a larger balcony being aft and that was another bonus. I would read cruise critic forums and see what they say.

Like I said, you have a good time either way! Alaska is GORGEOUS!!

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I wouldn't spend a lot of time in my cabin, honestly. I don't think I'd care that much about the view.

 

[QueenIsabella]

We're going on a Baltic cruise next summer, and we have 3 aft cabins for the 6 of us. It's our first/second cruise--I was pregnant with Kid #3 when I went on DCL, 16 years ago, so we didn't know from cabin "style". The balconies are typically bigger, with room for a lounge chair. as of 2020, RCCL will have them as a separate category (presumably with a higher price tag), since they're highly requested. The balconies appear to be semi-covered, since the ship angles inward as you go up in decks.

We're expecting good views, and it sounds like you'll have them, too. Our cruise is very port-intensive, but it'll be nice to relax on the balcony in the evenings and on sea days. I'm hoping that it's especially nice for our son with Asperger's, who is very, very introverted--he can enjoy the sea without having to interact with people.

 

[stsomewhere]

We cruise a few times a year. We normally book an inside because we do not spend a lot of time in the cabin using it. we stayed out out on deck during our Alkaska cruise. We had on warm clothes and cruise line was handing out blankets and hot cocoa. We enjoyed the views from the bow of the ship.

 

[tvguy]

Like I said

We cruise a few times a year. We normally book an inside because we do not spend a lot of time in the cabin using it. we stayed out out on deck during our Alkaska cruise. We had on warm clothes and cruise line was handing out blankets and hot cocoa. We enjoyed the views from the bow of the ship.

Inside cabins are getting less common on ships. We were on the Celebrity Eclipse in October. 1,400 cabins, only 140 are inside.

 

[Wishing on a star]

OP, No matter where your cabin is located, you will not see what happens to be in the direction behind your cabin. Aft, Forward, Port, Starboard.
Those Aft cabins will have deeper/larger balconies. And they will have that wake view when underway.
They will also probably have some of that vibration as they are over the engines.
I know that another HAL ship has had some additional vibrations thru the ship due to design. But I don’t think this is the case with your ship
You might be able to find some other cabins with larger balconies. You would have to study the deck plans. I am not familiar with this ship off the top of my head.
You do want to make sure your balcony is at least half covered. Not sure about your ship, but some do have some open uncovered balconies.
For me, I would probably want to be mid-ship and not a higher deck because this will be the smoother ride and less motion.
Happy planning!!!
We really enjoyed Alaska!

 

[Snowysmom]

We prefer mid ship balcony. We had one on our Alaska cruise and it worked out well. People do like the Aft balconies and my agent recommended one too. I just prefer mid ship.

 

[Wishing on a star]

It looks like on this ship, those Aft balconies are not really much bigger/deeper.
But, there are others on each side of the ship that are.
Would you mind saying which sailing you are looking at?

 

[kaytieeldr]

OP, No matter where your cabin is located, you will not see what happens to be in the direction behind your cabin. Aft, Forward, Port, Starboard.

How can you not be able to see what's behind you in an aft-facing cabin?

 

[Luv Bunnies]

We prefer mid-ship cabins as they tend to be more stable when the ship is moving. One word of advice - When choosing a cabin, look at the map of the decks above and below the one you're considering. If there is a nightclub directly above or below, you might hear music or bass thumping late into the night. We once had a cabin right below one of the dining rooms. They were banging around up there late at night, probably moving tables and chairs to clean and set up for breakfast service. It was kind of annoying. It's best to have other cabins above and below, as opposed to public areas.

In terms of Alaska, you don't necessarily need a balcony with the best view. You will know when "scenic cruising" is on the schedule. During those times, there are plenty of places to sit or stand on deck, listen to the commentary and watch the scenery go by. Our ship had stacks of blankets available and an area set up with coffee, tea and hot chocolate. It was fun to hang out on deck with everyone else and look at the glaciers. Also remember that in the summer, Alaska has extra daylight hours. It never really gets totally dark. If you have trouble sleeping with a little light coming in, an inside cabin might be best. We actually enjoyed the novelty of the midnight sun, but it's not for everyone.

 

[design_mom]

How can you not be able to see what's behind you in an aft-facing cabin?

I took it that she meant that, no matter where your cabin is on the ship, your balcony is only going to give you one direction of view. If you've got an aft-facing balcony, you won't be able to see what's going on at the front of the ship (which would be "behind you" as you're standing on your balcony.) And if you've got a starboard cabin, you won't be able to see the stuff on the port side (which would be "behind you" as you're standing on your balcony.)

 

[Wishing on a star]

Thank You design-mom! No further comment on that.

I will chime in on the whole balcony debate.
If somebody appreciates a balcony, then they appreciate a balcony.
End of story.

I have gotten the most AMAZING picture because that morning, we had our balcony door open and were enjoying the view off our balcony as the shop docked when fortune struck.
You never know when that incredible rainbow might appear... When that pod of whales will be nearby.
Whether you are on the right/correct 'side' of the ship is, of course, a factor.
Those on the other side of the ship when we enjoyed that amazing scene were, well, just unaware.

I have heard that whales and dolphins, etc. will more often surface to the rear, after the ship goes by. Whether that is true, or whether that might sway the OP to stay in that Aft facing balcony.
Who knows!

 

[kdonnel]

I wouldn't spend a lot of time in my cabin, honestly. I don't think I'd care that much about the view.

I feel the same way, except for cruises heavy on scenery like Alaska.

On most cruises you see nothing but water for hours on end. When cruising Alaska you are usually within sight of land at all times. I find on Alaska cruises I spend much more time sitting comfortably on my balcony watching the scenery go by then on Caribbean cruises.

It is especially useful on the glacier cruising days where you can be guaranteed a great view from your balcony and the ease of popping back in the room to warm up by taking just a couple step.